Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Building
on previous studies that show many factors beyond medical care affect people's
health, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently established the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement to explore the interactions of these
influences. The new roundtable will provide opportunities for experts on
education, urban planning, medicine, public health, social sciences, and other
fields to interact and share their knowledge and perspectives with the goal of
catalyzing joint action.

As
a recent study by the National Research Council and IOM documented, Americans
experience worse health and shorter lives than people in other rich,
industrialized nations despite spending more on medical care than any other
nation. Several IOM studies have described the
effects of social and environmental factors that can lead to poor health
even when people have access to good health care. The nation's lagging
health burdens businesses, communities, and families, these reports note.

The roundtable
will engage roundtable members and outside experts, practitioners, and
stakeholders on 3 core issues:

supporting fruitful interaction between primary care
and public health

strengthening governmental public health

exploring community action in transforming the
conditions that influence the public's health

IOM
hosts more than a dozen roundtables and forums, providing a neutral setting for
diverse groups of individuals to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern
and gain fresh insights and new understanding. A list of individuals who
serve on the roundtable can be found on IOM's website.